pitch lowering and strip muting

[Billbrpt@aol.com]

In a message dated 6/5/98 2:27:22 AM Central Daylight Time,
Piano@forte.airtime.co.uk writes:

<< I can't understand how you and others on the list are getting good times
 on your fist time round , yet: my friend  who teaches up in jock land
 says that his student take up to 3 hours on 25 cent pitch. Yet he says
 if they the use the ear it takes 1.5 to 2 hours... It do not make sense. >>

What are they doing during all that time???  Having a spot of tea every
octave?  I suppose it is a matter of technique but really, it should take no
longer than 1/2 hour to move through the piano and tune each pin up roughly to
pitch.

I have done it in as little as 10 minutes.  My usual time is 15-20 minutes.  A
very massive pitch raise may take 1/2 hour because of the sheer legnth of time
it takes to raise each string an extraordinary amount.  Very often in such a
case, one must be very careful in raising each string's pitch so as not to
break a string.

A factory worker who "chip" tunes a piano will usually take 5-10 minutes.
PTG's Steve Fairchild RPT, holds a World Record (Guiness) for having tuned a
piano in under 5 minutes.  To get this kind of speed, one must learn how to
control the tuning hammer so that the desired pitch is reached within a few
strokes (if not a single one, ideally)  Then, one must keep one's eye, not on
the pin being tuned but the next one to be tuned and move quickly from one to
the next.  Keeping your movements continuous and rhythmic is what cuts down on
the time.

An ETD will be a great encumberance at first and until you earn to use it
efficiently.  I suggest you use it when you have time to spare and when you
are pressed for time, tune as you always have. It took me a full 2 years
before I was at ease with the SAT.  For a long time, I thought I had wasted my
money on it.  I consider it a great asset now which allows me to do much more
work than I could otherwise to a consistently high quality, professional
standard, without the stress thatstrictly aural tuning involves.  I still tune
occasionally by ear. I use the SAT only in the program mode, where I have
stored tunings that meet my standards of quality.

Bill Bremmer RPT
Madison, Wisconsin